If you are considering joining us for the next West Midlands School of Clinical Hypnotherapy course to learn to become a hypnotherapist then the time to act is now!

If you are considering joining us for the next West Midlands School of Clinical Hypnotherapy course to learn to become a hypnotherapist then the time to act is now!
The deepener’s job is to take someone from being in a trance to being in a deeper trance (see trance depth). There are a number of reasons why someone would want to do this;
There are many different formats for deepening and below we will explore some of the most common.
These are deepener’s which rely on counting up or down, commonly this might be counting down from 3 or up to 10. The counting provides a defined period of time in which the deepening can occur thus allowing the mind to make the transition. Typically, suggestions such as “deeper and deeper, “deep sleep” and “relax” will be made in and around the numbers to help facilitate the deepening.
Possibly the most common natural phenomena hypnotic deepener are those which use ideomotor response to return a limb to normalcy after having conducted induction through an Arm levitation or Limb catalepsy induction. A lesser example of a natural phenomenon deepener is delivering deepening suggestions as the subject exhales to gain the benefit of the simultaneous physical suggestion given by the act of breathing out. for more on natural Phenomena in hypnosis
These look to create deepening by encouraging the subject to focus internally on imaginary imagery, typically a journey or favourite place. This creates dissociation from the current environment and may help access resources states, such as relaxation which in themselves may further deepen the subject.
These are deepeners which explicitly encourage dissociation, the separation of subject from their current time / space. Many people argue that dissociation is the basis of hypnosis so anything which encourages it is likely to be useful. A typical example of dissociation deepening is asking a subject to imagine floating out of their body, this can easily lead into a visual engagement deepener such as a journey to a favourite place.
These are a little different to the other types of deepener as when initially introduced they are not intended to procedure deepening but rather are establishing a cue for deepening at a later point. The cue word may be “sleep”, “relax”, “Nowww” or something similar. The use of the cue word is to take the subject back to the state in which the cue word was installed, to this end the hypnotherapist will look to install as deep a trance as possible before installing the cue word. Such deepening words are resources to be applied by the hypnotherapist when trance depth has been disrupted by something or an extra bit of deepening is required.
The above are all elements of deepeners and may well in mixed in together to create a more effective whole.
In this Vlog / blog we look at several factors which can effect the outcome of a hypnotic induction. let’s first define what an induction is;
A hypnotic induction is a way of getting someone to close their eyes. It generally includes some degree of deepening but ultimately it is about taking someone from having their eyes open to having their eyes closed. This means that the simplest form of hypnotic induction is the ‘simple eye closure’ where you just ask someone to close their eyes, even this cuts out a substantial amount of the information which is coming into the brain (approximately 40% I am told) allowing for greater focus on the internal world. However most inductions are more elaborate than this and start to produce hypnotic states in advance of eye closure.
there are a number of basics which can make quite a difference these include;
Comfort & physical stabilisation – Are they physically comfortable? Is the chair you use strong, stable and comfy for a semi-conscious person. Is the room warm / cool enough for a semi-conscious person, and have they been to the toilet recently enough (don’t ask about this immediately before induction). In addition I always invite my patients to place their feet flat on the floor and their hands on their laps as this create more physical stability.
Understanding – Studies (by me!) suggest that most people have a balanced view of hypnosis and hypnotherapy and many of the old myths about control and domination are dying out, however they are not yet gone, so a good explanation of what hypnosis is, what it might be like and what it is not is a good idea. In addition you should offer the client the chance to aske any questions they may wish.
Consent – Although it would be possible to argue that the act of presenting to a hypnotherapists for therapy gives implied consent for hypnosis, explicit consent is much more respectful. So always stop to ask if a client is ready to enter hypnosis before you initiate induction.
Co-operative mind set – by enhancing co-operation prior to induction they are far more likely to co-operate in trance. Co-operation is enhanced by building rapport, but also by demonstrating co-operation and techniques like the ‘yes set’ which will be discussed in other videos.
In this video I discuss the use of 6 natural phenomenon in hypnotic induction
Breath – deceptively simple but overlooked by many is combining your suggestions with someone breath. Usually this means you deliver deepening suggestions on the outbreath thus giving a physical suggestion in combination with the verbal suggestion.
Tiring – a hypnosis classic! you place the subject in a position where they will gradually become tired, for example the eyes focused on a elevated spot, wait for a little while and then tell them that they are becoming tired. The real trick is to tell them they are becoming tired before they are consciously aware of it. By directing their attention to the pre-existent tiredness it gives the impression that suggestion has made this happen.
Ideomotor response (IMR) – Most people are not aware that most thought, especially about actions, tend to produce small unconscious movements, these are called IMR’s. By directing a subject to have a certain thought a hypnotist may produce an IMR. As with tiring (see above) the hypnotist may be credited with producing this IMR but all the hypnotist is actually doing is focusing the subjects attention on something which is already. By repeating and enhancing the IMR through suggestion it can be taken well beyond its naturally occurring level and produce some of the more impressive hypnotic inductions such as the Arm levitation.
Dissociation – we all have the ability to mentally separate from our immediate circumstances, we call it daydreaming, this is also a form of dissociation. Dissociation means to separate from the here and now, usually by an act of engaging with the internal mental world. A hypnotist will often encourage dissociation directly by inviting someone to imagine floating out of their body and floating off to a beautify place. Dissociation can be in both space (location an bodily awareness) or time.
Fractionation – It has been observed that someone in a trance, however light, will go progressively deeper if they are asked to open their eyes and then invited to closed them again. Although often enhanced with suggestion this interesting natural phenomenon has been used by hypnotists for many years to help people go gently deeper into hypnosis.
Confusion – far from my favourite as it is rarely appropriate to the anxious patients I tend to work with it is however a powerful hypnotic technique. When in a state of confusion a person will often latch on to any single clear command or idea with far greater belief than if the were not confused. Hypnotists will often produce mild confusion in their subjects which they then break with a single clear command.
The socio-cognitive theorists offer up three different factors which are innate to hypnotic subjects to varying degrees and affect how easily they can be hypnotised
So you want to know how to become a hypnotherapist ? It’s an ambition which many people have but lots of people simply don’t know where to start. In this blog we will go over the things you need to know.
The first thing you will need to do is get some training, and this is usually the biggest challenge because you will need to find a reputable institution … the question is how? So here is what you need to check
As a hypnotherapist you are going to need a few things before you practice
Ok so you are trained, you have the skills, your insured and know what your legal responsibilities are, you probably want some clients now? Ok you will need
You will need a website, and some way of promoting it. You may also want to join one of the directories which promotes hypnotherapy, probably the best of which in the UK is hypnotherapy directory .
Eventually you will build up a lot of word of mouth business from former clients who talk about how good you are to their friends, you will still have to market your services but the number of clients you get for the time and money you invest will get much better.
Our next Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD) course will start Saturday 16th 2017 and finish 8 July 2018. Classes are held on weekends (both Saturday and Sunday).
For more details go to WMSCH
For location details go to Venue
Hypnotherapy classes last approximately from 10.00-17.00.
Weekend 1 – 16/17 September 2017
Weekend 2 – 14/15 October 2017
Weekend 3 – 18/19 November 2017
Weekend 4 – 16/17 December 2017
Weekend 5 – 13/14th January 2018
Weekend 6 – 10/11th February 2018
Weekend 7 – 3/4th March 2018
Weekend 8 – 31st March /1st April 2018
Weekend 9 – 5/6th May 2018
Weekend 10 – 2/3rd June 2018
Weekend 11 – 7/8th July 2018
For more details go to WMSCH
For location details go to Venue
At WMSCH we teach the National Council for Hypnotherapy’s (NCH) externally validated Diploma in Hypnotherapy. This is a nationally recognised qualification, being at academic level four. The course is assessed by essays and through assessment of practical work.
In the prospectus we give a day by day breakdown of the course content, for other information simply go to WMSCH or The qualification , Who teaches the course , Where is the course? How much does it cost?
Day 1 – Saturday 16 Sept 2017
Day 2 – Sunday 17th September 2017
Day 3 – Saturday 14th October 2017
Day 4 – Sunday 15th October 2017
Day 5 – Saturday 18th November 2017
Day 6- Sunday 19th November 2017
Day 7 – Saturday 16th December 2017
Day 8 – Sunday 17th December 2017
Day 9 – Saturday 13th January 2018
Day 10 – Sunday 14th January 2018
Day 11 – Saturday 10th February 2018
Day 12 – Sunday 11th February 2018
Day 13 – Saturday 3rd March 2018
Day 14 – Sunday 4th March 2018
Day 15 – Saturday 31st March 2018
Day 16 – Sunday 1st April 2018
Day 17 – Saturday 5th May 2018
Day 18 – Sunday 6th May 2018
Day 19 – Saturday 2nd June 2018
Day 20 – Sunday 3rd June 2018
Day 21 – Saturday 7th July 2018 – revision & tying up loose ends
Day 22 – Sunday 8th July 2018 – Assessed practical’s & case history written papers.
What is the difference between neurosis and psychosis? Let us start by defining neurosis and psychosis.
Neurosis is a broad term rarely used by therapists and psychologists these days. However, it does have some value to hypnotherapists. Broadly, neurosis can be said to be a mental problem in which the suffer is in touch with reality. Often this appears as a logical – emotional dissonance. This means the suffer can tell you that their behaviour is inappropriate but feel it is beyond their control. Typical examples would include;
With neurosis there is an implication that some life event or problem is influencing the problem. This may not always be true as a life event may have initiated the problem behaviour but it may now be a habit.
Neurosis is the most serious level of mental health issue a hypnotherapist may deal with. Psychosis (see below) are contraindicated for hypnotherapy.
is a general term used to describe any set of symptoms where the sufferer is thought to be out of touch with external reality. This may be due to any number of factors such as organic brain impairment or long term stress. Symptoms of psychosis include
If you have any concerns that a potential patient may be out of touch with reality refer them on to a doctor.
Essentially a contraindication is a reason NOT to do something. So in the medical world, which is where we get the term from, a good example would be:
Hypnotherapy is a relatively safe intervention. Many hypnotists will argue that hypnosis is an entirely normal process, no more dangerous than falling asleep. However, there is the issue of how hypnosis is induced and what is done once a client is in hypnosis.
Most hypnotherapists agree that it is unwise to work with people who are in states of psychosis. This means that they have a problem which causes them to be out of touch with reality. Psychosis may include hallucinations, grandiose beliefs, paranoia.
There is discussion around people with epilepsy which occurs when they fall asleep. The process of hypnosis may be related to the state change from being awake to asleep. As a rule with people with epilepsy which is triggered by falling asleep I recommend extreme caution, ask about their medication and how stable they are on their medication, inform them of the facts and when it doubt refer to your professional body .
The most common contraindications which come up in therapy are for a particular type of client with a particular type of technique. For example;
These are but a few examples, and others will be flagged up in technique specific videos. The rule of thumb is think about what you are doing, use your common sense and when in doubt play it safe!
Author – Matt Krouwel is a hypnotherapist in Birmingham (UK). He is also the course leader for the West Midlands School of Clinical Hypnotherapy